Whole Again
by transatlantic7hr
Summary: DM/HG. Something's missing from Hermione's life- something that can't be filled by Harry or Ron, but from the one person she least expected. Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

My story for the 50 Art Of Words Challenge. I used **jolt, circle, **and **eyes** in this chapter.

Setting: Going into their 7th year. Mostly HBP compliant- but Draco never tried to kill Dumbledore, and Harry/Hermione/Ron are all staying at Hogwarts…it will all be explained later.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Also, this is my first FF attempt sooo I'll try at work out the rough patches as I go!

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Hermione Granger sat staring out her kitchen window watching the summer rain drip down the clear glass. It had been raining all day, and as far as she was convinced she'd sit in that chair until it stopped. Her dad was away on business in some distant country, and her mother had taken to busying herself with errands around the town as if to fill the void of her father being gone. It hadn't bothered her, she thought, tracing an imaginary circle on the marble table top. Soon she would be back at school where there wouldn't be any more rainy, lazy days sitting inside waiting for to flitter of wings carrying her a message that perhaps _someone_ was thinking about her. A flash of lightning illuminated the gray sky, and jolted her back into consciousness. Looking around the kitchen, perhaps to see if anyone had entered in her state of unawareness, Hermione picked herself up and shuffled to the front door. She heard a thump, and realized that the muggle mail had come. Hermione opened the door to see Mr. Godlow-their regular postman- smiling from under his rain poncho.

"Hello there, Hermione. Had a good summer, yeah?"

Hermione cracked a smile and leant down to pick up the pile of mail. "Yes, Mr. Godlow. And yourself?"

"Oh the usual," he said, pointing to the damp pile of post in her arms. "Maybe you've got a letter in there from University? Didn't get a chance to look, but I've been delivering a bunch of those today."

Hermione's smile faltered for a second, then she quickly regained composure as she reached for the door handle. "Maybe so, maybe so." Mr. Godlow gave a noncommittal wave as Hermione opened the door. "Ha, letter from university" she commented to no one, tossing the pile onto the counter and heading upstairs to repack her trunk for the third time that day.

It wasn't that she didn't like being a witch at all. On the contrary, she loved it more than she had ever loved anything in her life. But a little part of her couldn't help but wonder if she'd never received a letter on her 11th birthday, that maybe she would be waiting for the postman eagerly by the door, hoping to hear what every 17 year old muggle would want to hear- acceptance to the schools to which they had applied. Hermione glanced at the frames on her dresser and saw the unmoving, smiling faces of her and her best friends on a field trip to the zoo in London. Little Hermione's bushy hair was pulled up into a ponytail, exactly like the two other girls in the picture, arms around each others' shoulders and laughing at something Hermione couldn't recall. Yet those same girls who had been her friends all her life had faded away as she was absent for nine months out of the year, forming new circles with new girls as they grew up, and were probably together somewhere down her street watching a film at someone's house, gossiping about boys, or planning summer holidays to France. Hermione shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, and picked up a letter from her bedside table-reading it for the hundredth time.

"Hermione-

I know it's only been a week since we left Hogwarts, but I thought I'd write and see how you were. Can't wait to get out of here and go to the Burrow with the Weasleys. Gets boring here listening to Dudley go on about this boxing matches at school, and Uncle Vernon nagging him about university. Don't think he's smart enough to get in anyway. Couldn't explain this to Ron- knew you'd understand though. Hope everything is going well, see you in a few months. Oh yeah, congratulations on Head Girl by the way. We all knew you'd get it.

Love,

Harry

She threw the letter back down and plopped onto her bed. Closing her eyes, she thought about all of the great memories from last year, staying up late with Ron and Harry in the common room- laughing about something funny that had happened at dinner, drinking Butterbeers in Hogsmeade with Harry, Ron, and Ginny, finding something she had overlooked in _Hogwarts, A History_ the first ten times she'd read it. She also thought about the serious moments of last year- learning about the Horcruxes from Harry, fearing their safety if Lord Voldemort returned, the death of Dumbledore… But somehow her mind wandered back to her life as a muggle as she dozed off into a light slumber.

_8 year old Hermione ran along the cobble paths in the zoo with her friends Miranda and Eisley, eager to get to the Reptilian House where they heard from another boy in their class that there was a dragon. _

_"I bet it doesn't exist," panted Eisley, dragging her backpack on the ground as she tried to keep up with her friends. _

_"Of COURSE it does!" squealed Miranda, grabbing Eisley's hand so she would keep up. _

_"Darren wouldn't lie. But he did tell me at lunch that he was getting a penguin for a pet and it just can't live in his house…" Hermione rationalized, stopping at the door to the Reptilian House to think. _

_Miranda laughed. __"Quit thinking about it, let's go see." The three girls pushed open the door and let light into the dark, damp room. Half frightened, half intrigued, the girls tip-toed inside, determined to find the dragon. Eisley pointed to a far corner and gasped, "There it is!" Hermione looked up to see a large, green scaled beast that appeared to be asleep. Suddenly it turned its head, and the other girls screamed and bolted for the door. Hermione shut her eyes tight, frozen in her spot until she heard a sickeningly familiar voice. "You would be having a dream about your pathetic life as a Muggle, Granger. You should have stayed where you belonged, in a zoo with all of your other freak friends." The dragon had the face of none other than Draco Malfoy, who- even as a dragon- had a smirk that was trademark only to him._

Hermione shot up from her sleep, panting from the nightmare she'd had. She glanced back at the picture on her dresser- an d for a moment wished life were as simple as it was back then.


	2. Rain Keeps Falling Down

Chapter 2 for 50 Art of Words Challenge. I used **quill** in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Enjoy : )

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Draco Malfoy sat lazily in his tall wing backed leather chair overlooking the rolling green hills behind the Malfoy mansion. He rolled the milky piece of parchment between his fingers, watching the storm clouds move in. He heard a distant knock at the door, but chose to ignore it- he couldn't seem to care enough to tear himself away from the impending darkness, the trees swaying in the winds that always preceded a storm. He heard the shuffling of tiny feet behind him, and glanced to see a house elf he didn't recognize bowing beside his chair. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, your Father wishes your presence in his library, sir. He has something, sir, something he wishes to tell you." The house elf which Draco assumed his father had just acquired since he didn't know his name, stared at the floor shaking with petrifaction. Draco stood up without a word, causing the poor elf to startle and jump in the air. "Thank you" Draco muttered, exiting the room to make sure he didn't keep his father waiting.

As he descended the marble staircase, he flattened his hair and thought about what his father might want to discuss this time. It was always something- he seemed to get a similar message from whichever house elf appeared at his door, requesting his presence in the library. Draco grabbed hold of the banister to balance himself as he shined his shoes on the back of his pants. He didn't dare look anything but presentable when he entered the room or he was sure he would hear something about it and have to bite his tongue from saying something that would result in a blow to his back or a slap in the face. He had learned to control his temper in front of his father, mostly out of fear of the power his father possessed- and how far he might be willing to go. He reached the library, and knocked on the door before entering- another lesson he had learned too many times walking in on situations he'd rather not see.

"Enter" a cold voice demanded from behind the tall oak doors. Draco turned the serpentine knob, a hiss emitting from the iron as he pushed the door open. His father sat in a high backed chair behind a large desk, filled with parchment in piles by category and importance. Lucius Malfoy lifted his eyes only for a second to acknowledge his son's presence, then continued scratching away at a letter he was no doubt writing to one of his close colleagues- for business Draco was sure was extremely private and entirely illegal.

"Your shirt is untucked."

Draco looked down to see his black shirt tails uncovered by his robes and quickly shoved them down inside his trousers. His cheeks turned this slightest shade of pink, knowing that this meeting wasn't off to a good start. Lucius continued to write as his son walked closer to the desk, ready for whatever his father had to say to him.

"I have a meeting with" he paused, as if he was going to tell Draco, and then decided against it, "important people tomorrow, so it would be best if you could make yourself unseen."

"I leave for school tomorrow morning." Draco said, peering out the library windows at the rain that had started to come down.

"All for the better, then." Lucius commented, sealing his finished letter and sliding it to the corner of the table where a house elf stood, ready to attach it to a dark owl's leg. "I take it you've already made arrangements to get there. Last year now is it." he said, dipping his quill into an inkwell to begin another letter. Draco knew this was a statement more than a question, and continued to watch the large drops fall against the window pane. "And Head Boy." he added, causing Draco to switch his gaze to his father's face. He didn't know his father knew already, but knowing him, he probably had the house elves going through all incoming letters. He knew this would look good to his father- finally his hard work in getting top grades and going largely uncaught for his indiscretions would earn him some respect that was hard to come by in Lucius Malfoy's eyes.

His father continued to write as if the news weren't nearly as important as the letter he was working on. "It is about time that power lay with the Slytherins again, where it belongs. Took Dumble-" he paused, looking up to the ceiling, a sick grin spreading across his lips. "oh right, no more Dumbledore to make decisions. Never made the right ones anyway- he would have given it to Potter just to shine more light on that filthy child." Lucius ' face morphed back into a cold stare and resumed his writing. Draco could see that he was clearly interrupting his father's work and was only called down to make sure he was out of the way tomorrow, not to be given praise for getting Head Boy.

"Is that all, father?" he asked, his heartbeat quickening with frustration.

"Yes, you can go now."

As Draco grasped the doorknob, his father stood up. "This is your last year at that school- a school that has taught you nothing for the future. Fortunately for you, you do not have to think about the future. But do know-" he said, gazing at the closet where Draco knew he kept his Death Eater cloak "that anything you do to compromise it will be" he paused, as if looking for a word to say that Draco wouldn't see his 18th birthday, "inexcusable."

Draco ran silently up the stairs, his heart racing not from the exercise, but from his bottled up anger. He shut his bedroom door and kicked over a side table holding an hour glass, sending it shattering to the floor. He marched over the sand to his chair, grabbing the parchment and balling it up. With a toss in the air and the murmur of _incendio_,the letter burst into flames and fell in an ashen heap onto the sandy wood floor.


	3. Deep Purple

Chapter 3 for the 50 Art of Words Challenge. I only used **run** in this chapter.

thanks for the reviews : )

Disclaimer: i own nothing

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Hermione tugged her plum colored rain jacket close as she hurried into the train station, shielding herself from the brisk wind. She was filled with a familiar sense of excitement as she descended the steps to the train platforms. She hadn't yet seen a red headed family, or a tall, unkempt head of black hair she was so used to seeing. As Hermione was checking her watch, she tripped over a loose brick, sending her duffel bag skidding across the ground. Groaning and holding her injured foot, she eyed someone approaching her bag.

"Excuse me, that's my bag" she said, hurrying over. As he turned around, Hermione let out a small gasp. Of course it was the one person she _didn't _look forward to seeing at Hogwarts. Draco stopped himself from picking up the bag, and gave Hermione a disgusted look.

"Oh, it's yours. Should have known something this small-" he kicked her bag so it skidded a few more feet down the platform "and dirty belonged to you." Hermione glared at him, using all of her strength NOT to slap him across the face like she had done during their third year.

"Well, it wouldn't be so dirty if you hadn't kicked it! Good aim though, had practice this summer kicking around house elves for your own sick pleasure?" she fumed, marching to go get her bag.

Draco's grin then vanished, and he approached her more quickly that she anticipated, causing her to trip backwards. She had never been this close to Draco before, and it made her extremely uncomfortable. Determined to match his stare and not back down, Hermione looked straight into his dark green eyes and prayed that with enough people around, he wouldn't do anything too rash. His chest heaved up and down, and Hermione thought she saw something purple on his skin beneath his black shirt collar. Before she could be sure what it was, he drew himself taller and spoke with more malice than she had ever heard him use.

"Don't think that you have me all figured out, Mudblood."

He gave her one last stare before turning on his black leather shoes and walking away. She was breathing heavily out of fear, and hurried to grab her bag and run for the train. "Oh yeah, you might want to watch your mouth around me, though it would give me great pleasure to bring up at Head Meetings how you don't respect authority." Draco called out, not stopping.

Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes. Though she had read in the letter that Draco Malfoy would be Head Boy, she had hoped that it had been a joke, or that his father had decided better of him coming back to school with all the Dark activity taking place. 

Thought he would have wanted to train him up, Hermione mused as she reached the barrier between Platform 9 & 10. Before she could step into the wall, she was engulfed in sea of red hair, belonging to Ginny Weasley.

"Hermione! We've been shouting your name the distance of the platform." she panted, clearly out of breath as they were usually late arriving at the station.

"Sorry I didn't hear you, must have been distracted." Hermione responded, peering over Ginny's shoulder hoping to catch a glimpse of her best friends. Harry waved with his free hand, the other lugging Hedwig's cage strapped to the top of his trunk- Ron was too busy being blasted by Mrs. Weasley to notice her. Ginny grabbed her arm.

"We should get going, we only have a couple minutes til the train leaves. Where's your trunk?" Ginny asked. Hermione patted her dirty duffel bag.

"Charmed it to fit in here."

Hermione and Ginny caught up on each other's summers as they boarded the Hogwarts Express, crowded with a happy mix of nervous first years and excited returning students. "Here we go, finally some empty seats" Ginny said, opening the door to a vacant cabin. They were soon joined by the boys, who both swept in on Hermione for great hugs.

"How's your summer been? You look….great." Ron said, blushing slightly as he released Hermione. She smiled back, happy to be in the comfort of her friends after a summer that consisted mainly of staring out the kitchen window and reading books she'd read before.

"Great, good. Spent a lot of time with my parents." she answered noncommittally. Harry have her a tight hug next, showing a smile that Hermione recognized as one full of sadness. Dumbledore's death had affected them all greatly- Hermione often thought of the Headmaster as she gazed out the window that summer, fearing that without him, the defeat of Voldemort would be vastly more difficult. But no one had been quite as impacted as Harry, whose relationship was beyond even the understanding of Hermione. She patted him on the back supportively, knowing that this summer had been trying on him.

"Congratulations on Head Girl. Though that means we'll be seeing even _less_ of you this year." Harry said, sitting down across from Hermione. "Know who Head Boy is?"

Hermione hesitated, thinking back on what happened before she met up with them at the train station. The image that filled her mind was the Draco she knew and loathed, but all she could focus on was the bruise hiding under his shirt. She wondered how much of his alabaster skin was that deep purple…

"Take that as a 'no' then" Ron said, unwrapping a chocolate frog and plopping down next to Hermione.

"Oh, it's Malfoy." she responded, shaking her head clear of the image. Ron looked disgusted, Harry furious, and Ginny sympathetic. "Well, I figured it so. Highest grades for a boy, never gets caught beating up on younger students, was a prefect last year. They probably thought his father would raise trouble if they didn't give it to him based on the fact that he's entirely unpleasant and a bully." Hermione explained. Ginny stood up and let out a deep breath.

"Well, I'm going to go meet up with…friends." she said, pulling open the cabin door. Hermione saw Harry watching her leave, and felt a slight pang of loneliness. "I must be going, too- Head duties." she said shortly, hurrying out and down the train aisle. Why did she feel like she needed air? Hermione found a quiet nook between the two cars and looked out the window at the mountains passing by. She knew she had to get to the Heads and Prefects cabin- it was irresponsible to be hiding from the rowdy students she should be disciplining. But the comfort of the passing mountains made her forget responsibility, if only for a moment before she was slapped back into reality by a cold voice.

"If you plan on disregarding _all_ your duties as Head Girl, I'll have to let McGonagall know you aren't cut out for the job, just like I imagined."

Hermione turned her head to see Draco leaning against the train door, arms folded and smirking at her. She glared and pushed by him, determined not to let anger get the best of her.

"What, no angry retort? No speech about what a prat I am? You've lost your touch, Granger."

Hermione was beyond annoyed. Either she had a knack for running into Malfoy at the most inopportune times, or he was trying to make her life harder their last year together.

--

"There you are!" Ron exclaimed, holding his aching side. "We've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, I had to help guide the first years off the train to Hagrid, and arrange for everyone's trunks to get up to the castle, and then I had to confiscate illegal potions from Crabbe and Goyle who were trying to sell them to a poor second year…" Hermione listed off. Ron smiled and threw his arm around her shoulder as they walked into the Great Hall for the Welcome Feast. "Head Duties, Head Duties…you're not going to remember us in a week are you?" Shocked by his confidence, Ron quickly withdrew his arm, turning as red as his hair and looking away from Hermione, hoping she wouldn't notice.

She enjoyed Ron's comforting grip. It felt safe- a reminder of the most important relationships she had formed in her life- the everlastingness of them. Her awkward tension with Ron was comforting. It was their final year at Hogwarts; in a matter of months they would leave the security of the Hogwarts walls and be thrown into a world where they wouldn't be looking forward to Quidditch matches on the weekends, but looking forward to a day off work to rest. Hermione had looked at all the pamphlets she'd received last year on jobs as an Auror, Healer, Herboligist. She knew that Harry would have to take care of the Horcruxes alone, and that she couldn't just sit at home waiting to be useful to him. Along with Head Duties, deciphering clues, and her load of classes, being relaxed seemed like a far away dream.

"Of course I'll remember you both. Besides, I'll still be in the Gryffindor tower. I'll just have a room to myself and get to use the nice bathrooms. I'll be able to study in peace and quiet without getting distracted." Hermione said, sitting down on the wooden bench, stomach rumbling. Harry sat down beside her and glanced at the staff table, breathing heavily when they all realized that their last year at Hogwarts would not begin with a speech by Dumbledore. Hermione reached for Harry's clenched fist resting on his leg and squeezed tight. His chair where he used to sit was left empty in honor of the late Headmaster, and Professor McGonagall was tapping her wand on the table, waiting for students to finally get seated.

Harry pulled at his hair with his free hand, and turned to his friends. "Going for a walk." he said casually, and stood up to leave the hall. Ron and Hermione watched him leave, realizing that what Harry needed was to be alone, not for them to chase after him. Professor McGonagall stood up and walked to the gold encrusted podium, clearing her throat. There was no need to get their attention- everyone was looking up at the front of the hall- for some, it was their first realization that Dumbledore wouldn't be there anymore.

"Good evening everyone, and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts." she said, which was followed by soft applause. "Also, an extended welcome to our new students- may this be the start of a wonderful seven years. We're here today in a different time than the past. But I think I speak for everyone here and those who are no longer with us-" McGonagall took a deep breath, as if to help keep her strong façade- "that now more than ever, as long as we are under the same roof, we are not four houses, but one- the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

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Draco sat at the Slytherin table, surrounded by his usual group. Crabbe and Goyle were having a contest to see who could hit each other's arm the hardest, laughing like buffoons. Pansy Parkinson had slid onto the bench so close she was sitting on his pants leg, chatting away with one of her girl friends and paying no attention to him. Blaise Zabini was reading what looked like an important document with a furrowed brow. Draco gazed lazily around the Great Hall, uninterested by his friends' stupid antics. After being amused watching Neville Longbottom trip over Filch's cat, his eyes stopped abruptly on one particular Gryffindor bench. His lip curled into a sneer- Granger's hand holding Potter's under the table. How disgusting, Draco thought. Their perfect friendship, relationship, whatever twisted thing it was. Granger was an insufferable know-it-all. Draco grunted- well, Potter thought he knew everything so they'd be perfect for each other.

"Draco, what are you staring at?" Pansy interrupted his thoughts, and he moved farther down the bench away from her. "Nothing" he murmured, leaning his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands as if he were praying. "Nothing at all."


	4. Butting Heads

50 Art of Words Challenge: I used **unicorn** in this chapter :)

Disclaimer: i own nothing

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Hermione stood outside of the Headmistresses office, looking through a stack of parchments for suggestions she had written during the summer.

"Miss Granger, a pleasure to see you. Congratulations on Head Girl. You were a clear choice." Professor McGonagall said as she stood on the moving spiral stone staircase. Hermione was slightly stunned- she had rarely been given such praise from McGonagall, and gave an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Professor. I will devote all of my time and energy to the position- I already have a list of things I wished to discuss with you." Hermione flashed the parchment with a long list of well detailed suggestions to her professor.

"I know you will do well with the responsibility." McGonagall glanced down the corridor. "No sign of Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione gave a satisfied smirk while McGonagall's head was still turned. "No, Professor. It seems he must be busy with something else."

"You're right, Granger, I was busy with something. Forgive my tardiness, Professor. I was inspired by your speech earlier and rushed to the Owlery to send a message to the Minister about perhaps receiving funding for events this year to bring us all together as a school." Draco said, flashing McGonagall an enthusiastic smile that Hermione knew was purely for show. She seemed to have bought it.

"Well, that sounds wonderful, Mister Malfoy. I was just about to show you both your Head's Room. If you'll just follow me." McGonagall led them down the hall and up a flight of stairs. Hermione dropped back a few steps, falling in line with Draco.

"You don't fool me for a second. If by 'letter to the Minister' you meant snogging that pugface girl in some dark alcove then you were telling the truth!" Hermione hissed. She was so angry at him for upstaging her that she let the insults fly. Draco's stone face turned into a grin.

"Jealous, Granger?"

Hermione stopped cold. Jealous? I am not going to let Malfoy get the best of me, she kept repeating to herself. She jogged a few steps ahead of him, hoping he would just give up. But that would be so unlike him…

"You must have been watching. Spot on- I was getting a little alone time outside the Great Hall which I decided was considerably more important and…pleasurable than being on time to this little appointment. I would have thought you were a little more classy than that, watching people snogging. Oh but I forgot, you aren't used to seeing that- you probably got confused. Need I explain, Granger…"

Hermione was visibly shaking with anger, but decided she had to keep her temper around McGonagall. Being Head Girl was her dream-she wouldn't let someone as pathetic as Malfoy ruin it for her.

"You're right, Malfoy. I do get a quick thrill watching you take advantage of whatever girl you convinced you were interested in because they were a 'the only one for you.' You're beyond disgusting, and anyone who would want to be alone with you clearly has the self confidence of Moaning Myrtle." Hermione murmured vindictively. Malfoy glared at her, and then rolled his eyes as if he wasn't fazed by anything she said.

"Suit yourself, Mudblood. I still say you're jealous."

The insult still hurt. No longer would she stand for being pushed around by Draco Malfoy. She was Head Girl for God's sake- it was the last year she would have to be around the little ferret, and she would make sure he was absolutely clear who was in control-and it was _so_ her.

McGonagall's heels continued to click against the cold stone floor until she reached a plain looking wood door. Hermione racked her brain to think if she ever remembered seeing it before. The corridor was empty except for a few chatting portraits and suits of armor. "Here we are. This is your own private room. You can plan school events, discuss business, and relax away from the bustle of Hogwarts. You'll set a password, of course. And it will only let you two in- even Polyjuice Potion can't fool it. I'll leave you two to decide on a password and get situated. Good luck to you both and remember-" she gave them a stern look Hermione had only seen when McGonagall was giving important information "-it is vital that you two set aside your differences and handle your responsibility as adults. There is a reason you both were chosen, this was no mistake." McGonagall gave them a nod and turned back down the hallway, robes billowing in a dark red cloud behind her.

"Well, it's going to have to be something we both agree on." Hermione said diplomatically, refusing to look at Draco and staring at the door. Draco snorted.

"I bet you want something ridiculous like _unity _or _togetherness_- or _puppies_ and _rainbows _and _unicorns_." he said in a sing-song voice, waving his hands for added effect. Hermione scowled, then gave him a smile to rival the one he gave McGonagall earlier.

"Puppies it is!"

The door unlocked from the inside and opened, revealing a comfortable looking lounge with a round table and chairs, which Hermione assumed were for meetings, a few leather couches around a fireplace, and bookcases along two of the walls. It reminded Hermione of something out of a book- it would be the perfect place to escape the stresses of her last year. She began to over think things, forgetting she was in a room with Malfoy.

"This must be your wildest fantasy, Granger. Only problem is I don't think there are enough books for you to read. If only they could turn into people, then you'd have some friends."

That was it. Hermione snapped back into reality and marched up to Malfoy, getting as close to him as they were in the train station. "There's a difference between this year and last year, Malfoy. I let you get away with everything, calling me 'mudblood,' making Harry's life impossible, insulting Ron's family, being a bully. You're disgusting, Malfoy-"

Draco interrupted her, showing how much he didn't care about this confrontation. "You've made it clear you think I'm disgusting, Granger. Trust me, it's mutual."

Hermione screamed out of frustration and knocked over a tray of biscuits that were on the table for their arrival. "You think you can get away with everything! Everyone else may be blind, Malfoy, but I know you're scheming something bigger than poisoning first years." Draco turned (if possible) pale and started to shake. Hermione didn't care- she'd had enough of his pompous attitude.

Suddenly he grabbed her arm and held it with a death-like grip, causing Hermione to wince in pain. He maintained pressure as he forcefully pushed her towards the door, not blinking once. "I told you once, and I don't repeat myself. You know as much about me as that idiot Longbottom knows about making potions."He tightened his grip and Hermione was in too much shock to react. "You will never understand my life. And I won't be spending my last year trying to help you to. I will do what I want, when I want. Wherever I am, it would be in your best interest not to be there. I have my own group of Slytherins that are far more respectable and loyal than you are, you filthy little-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hermione jerked her arm away. "Oh yeah? Do they know about that creeping bruise on your neck?" And with that, she left Draco standing in the Head's Room, alone.


	5. Added Confusion

50 AOW Challenge

disclaimer: i own nothinggg

enjoy some fan**_fiction_** :)

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Draco stood stone still in the Head's Room, staring at the door Hermione had just exited through. He certainly hadn't expected _that. _He subconsciously reached for his neck, and winced slightly as his hand touched the bruise. Pansy had always believed his lies that they were from Quidditch when laying in bed.

Draco moved around the room, slouching into one of the leather chairs and staring at the fire. He had a nagging feeling that Hermione knew where the bruises came from. "Stupid know-it all" he muttered, kicking the ottoman over and slouching lower into the chair.

Draco continued to gaze into the bouncing flames when he had an idea. Rummaging in his pockets, he retrieved a tiny pouch of Floo powder he kept on him at all times. He pinched a little out of the leather pouch and tossed it into the fire. The flames turned a brilliant green, then returned to orange. Draco chuckled. Oh, to be Head Boy.

Hermione stormed back to the Gryffindor Tower, occasionally tripping over raised stones in the floor. She wasn't sure how to react to the situation. On one hand, she was enraged that Draco Malfoy thought he could physically control her. She huffed as she raced down a flight of stairs. She would NOT let him do that again. Her mind raced as she tripped over yet another stone.

She wouldn't tell Harry or Ron- not yet anyway. This was a strange enough situation without including the opinions of the two people who hated Malfoy more than she did.

As Hermione approached the Gryffindor portrait, she slowed down to collect her thoughts. She had let the words out almost before she could control herself, letting anger take over her when she accused him of Dark behavior. But saying the thing about the bruise had surprised her as much as it had Malfoy.

Hermione paced in a wide circle. She wasn't stupid- she knew Lucius Malfoy wasn't the world's best parent. With the magical world on the brink of war, she was sure he was busy fulfilling duties as one of Voldemort's most loyal servants.

She stopped in front of a large window and pressed her forehead against the cool glass- this year had not started off at all as she had planned. Right now she thought she would be laughing with her best friends in the common room, enjoying something as simple as being close to Ron on the couch. And Harry- Hermione let out a sigh. With Dumbledore's death, and now his apparent feelings for Ginny, he was more reserved than ever. Now her year was beginning with surviving Draco Malfoy. Instead of being her enemy from afar, she had to interact with him everyday- and McGonagall was expecting her to do it civilly. Their last confrontation had been anything _but_ civil.

But she had obviously struck a nerve, and now was more curious than she had been before.

The full moon in the sky cast a white glow on the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. A slight breeze caused everything to rock back and forth calmly, and the distant howl of Fang from Hagrid's hut gave Hermione the comforting feeling she only felt at Hogwarts. She was only a few steps away from the portrait through which her best friends were probably waiting for her to come back and tell them about her evening. Tomorrow she would start classes- a wonderful distraction from the confusion of the start of 7th year.

Something caught Hermione's eye- there was a dark figure wandering across the grounds, in plain view. Hermione squinted through the rippled glass, unable to see if the figure was human or otherwise. Looking up, she saw a latch and the window opened with ease. Leaning into the cool night air, Hermione could see that it was indeed human, and a male. He appeared to be hooded, but she could tell it wasn't that of a Death Eater.

"Damn eyesight" she said to no one, leaning farther out the window and rubbing her eyes. A sudden gust of wind pushed the window towards her fast enough that before she knew it, she was careening down the side of the building. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she was falling too fast to locate her wand in time. Surely, this was the end.

-

"Are you completely insane?" a seemingly distant voice asked angrily. Hermione still hadn't caught her breath, much less believe she was alive. She was floating inches above the ground, shaking from the adrenaline. "What a pointless question, of course you are." With a flick of his wand, she fell the remaining distance onto the grassy lawn. She mustered the energy to sit up and glared at Malfoy.

"What are you doing outside past hours?" she asked, brushing leaves off of her robes.

"I think the better question is why did I look up to see bushy haired object hurtling out of a window, screeching loud enough to wake up the entire castle." He had removed his hood, and his platinum blond hair burned white in the moonlight. Hermione was momentarily distracted, but then stood up and gave Malfoy her best scowl.

"Why didn't you just let me plummet to my death, Malfoy? I'm sure it would have made you a lot happier."

What happened next surprised Hermione- he opened his mouth, surely to say something nasty, but then paused, as if he were reconsidering his answer. A fleeting moment this was-

"Would have made an awful mess. Nothing smells worse than dirty blood."

Hermione stared at Draco, her lips shut and trembling ever so slightly. Draco looked back at her standing there, dirt stained and shaking, fists clenched tight. The slight breeze rustling the leaves made the only sound as they both stood in front of each other, refusing to make any first move. Hermione didn't know how long they stood there looking at each other in silence before she gave one last huff and turned towards the front doors. He won't follow me, she thought as her shoes clicked against the stone steps. Hermione folded her arms and hurried down the corridor. Sure enough, she was alone as she reached the Gryffindor portrait without being caught by Filch. She combed her hair with her fingers and made sure there was no evidence of being outside. With a forced smile, Hermione entered the common room to her welcoming friends.


	6. Cold Water

Chapter 6 for AoW Challenge- i used **run**,** snake**,** friend**,** forest**,** surprise**, **beautiful**,and **eyes**.

disclaimer: i own nothing.

and yes, i realize that in order to have a Floo there'd have to be a fireplace outside...but use your imagination :)

* * *

Hermione walked into Transfiguration with Harry and Ron, chatting about their previous Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Snape.

"He's just impossible." Hermione said, sitting down in one of the two empty chairs at her desk. Ron let out a large sigh and slouched into the seat beside Harry.

"There is no way I am going to be able to pass his class. I don't know why I even bothered signing up for it- I know I'm no good at it." he folded his arms and rested his head on them. "the only reason I ever got through it before was because of you."

Hermione blushed slightly, and went about unpacking her books. Seventh year was more difficult than she anticipated, and it would take a lot of studying to get high marks. She'd already taken advantage of the silence of her own room. It was a bit lonely, but it was much easier to write an essay on the adverse effects of mixing an Aging Potion with a Polyjuice Potion.

The Head's Room was only nice when Malfoy wasn't there. She had only run into him on a few occasions, and they were awful enough to make her spend most of her time in the comfort of her room. She could do without the insults, the glares, and the disgruntled noises.

There was something different about him this year, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

Hermione glanced around the room to see if she could catch a glimpse of him, but had no luck. He'd been late to a couple of classes this week, and it made her suspicious. She'd searched the Head's Room for any clues, thinking he must be up to something rotten. Though he was a complete git, she knew he was smarter than to just leave evidence out in the open. Whatever he was doing, Hermione wanted to be sure it wasn't something to help Voldemort. The one thing Hermione could find good about their arrangement as Head Boy and Girl was that he would be right under her nose the entire year, which could give her more of a chance of catching him doing something. She would do anything to help Harry.

Her daydreaming was cut off by the voice of Professor McGonagall.

"Students, please take out your books and open it to the chapter on Human Transfiguration. An advanced art though it is, we need to dive right into this challenging material to prepare you for your N.E.W.T at the end of the term."

Hermione flipped open her book, looking at Harry and Ron and trying to give them her most motivational smile. She wasn't keen on having to pull them through 7th year- she wanted them to at least try since she had so many other responsibilities this year. While in midsentence about the possibility of losing limb, Malfoy snuck into the chair beside her, silently opening his bag and taking out his book. Hermione looked at him, surprised.

"Late again?" she said under her breath, taking every opportunity to shove it in Malfoy's face that she was a better student than he was.

"Piss off" he said coldly, pretending to start reading. Hermione looked behind her to where he usually sat. Pansy Parkinson was giving her a glare that could kill, and noticed some other Slytherin sitting where Draco usually sat. She turned back around and rolled her eyes. Yeah right, like _she_ really wanted to be sitting next to Malfoy.

She twirled her quill between her fingers and tried to focus on the reading. Professor McGonagall had taken to meddling with something in her desk drawer, so Hermione snuck a glance at Harry and Ron. Ron's head had returned to his folded arms, while Harry was looking back at her with a confused look on his face. Hermione shrugged back to answer his unasked question. No, she didn't know why Malfoy was sitting beside her. It wouldn't be unlike him to threaten whoever was in his usual seat until they moved.

She turned back to her reading. Focusing just wasn't going to happen. Her eyes were drawn to Malfoy, making sure he wouldn't see her looking at him. His usual pale skin seemed sunken on his face, as if he hadn't slept or ate properly since he'd arrived at Hogwarts. His usual pristine upkeep was lacking. She noticed his robes were slightly wrinkled, his tie loosened around his neck. He looked preoccupied with other thoughts, not caring about the text in front of him. He turned his head and caught her looking at him- Hermione whipped her head back around. She knew he had seen her.

"Didn't your muggle parents ever teach you it's not nice to stare?" he whispered, lacking his usual venom she was accustomed to.

"Yes, uh yes" she replied, thrown off by his tone. Since when did Malfoy not take the opportunity to tear her down? He looked back at her with a blank expression, then sneered and turned the page in his book.

-

Draco Malfoy didn't waste any time once McGonagall had released them from class. He swung his leather bag over his shoulder, swept up his books, and bolted for the door. The last thing he wanted was to be interrogated by Granger about being late or not keeping up with Head Duties. Someone pulled at the sleeve of his cloak-

"Draco, why are you in such a hurry? Class was so lonely without you, I couldn't get that stupid prat O'Hare to move out of your seat." Pansy stroked his arm as he stood in front of her, refusing to make eye contact. "Poor thing, had to sit by that Mudblood-"

Draco snatched his arm away.

"Don't touch me." he said, hurrying down the hallway.

"But Draco-wait- I wanted to ask you something."

Draco turned around and looked at Pansy; she looked surprised that he had actually stopped, and approached him slowly.

"I didn't get to see you at all this summer, with me in the Alps with my parents, and you tucked away at the Mansion."

The rest of their Transfiguration class had filtered into the hallway. No one seemed to notice the two already in the hallway, standing very close together. Draco was beginning to get impatient.

"I just wanted to see you, you know…without Blaise, Crabbe & Goyle. Just-"she inched closer to his face, and Draco could smell an all too familiar scent- "us."

Draco closed his eyes and took it in. He could remember a time when he was looking forward to having a room to himself so he could be with Pansy without having others interrupting. But now things were different. The comfort of her touch wouldn't fix the more serious problems that came with his age.

His father had given him no choice but to follow in his footsteps. He'd always wanted to, of course, but that was as a kid. Now, he would watch his father put on his dark cloak and leave for the yard without saying goodbye. He'd see his mother appear in the foyer, clutching the door frame tight, her knuckles turning white. Now he was at the age where he was supposed to join up, work for the Dark Lord. He knew his father didn't trust him with this responsibility, which angered him. He'd received a letter only the other day further confirming his thoughts-

_Draco,_

_That business I had to attend to the day you left for school went well. With the way things are, I cannot disclose much in this letter, but know this. Your task remains the same, and I don't expect this poor work I've been receiving from you. If you can't handle this, you won't be ready for anything after you get out of school. You have a name to uphold, Draco. You come from a long line of highly revered wizards. Don't let your name soil our line._

_Father_

He'd risked detention and expulsion to get his father information on Harry Potter and his stupid friends. Reading the letter showed how unimportant his father truly thought he was.

"Draco, did you hear me? Let's go to your room…" Pansy stroked his arm affectionately. Draco sneered and walked away.

"I said don't touch me."

He pushed past a group of 2nd years and flew up the stairs. Panting, he finally arrived at the door he'd been waiting for. He muttered "puppies," cringed, and slammed to door hard enough that it knocked the portraits sideways.

-

Hermione juggled her heavy bag with the stack of books she'd just borrowed from the library, her Ancient Runes essay trailing on the floor. She swayed back and forth down the corridor on the way to dinner, close to tipping over when Ron came to her rescue.

"Careful, Hermione, you'll hurt yourself with all this stuff. How do you do it all?" he asked, taking the books out of her hands and allowing her to roll up her parchment.

"Well I had to get these books for Arithmancy- I really ought to start studying for N.E.W.Ts or I'll get behind. Not to mention we have our first Heads Meeting with the Prefects tonight and I haven't had a second to organize what we'll discuss and Malfoy has been a ghost all week, I wonder if he even remembers it's tonight."

She turned the corner into the Great Hall and was immediately filled with the smells of warm bread and soup. "Mmm, I haven't gotten a chance to eat since breakfast."

Ron placed her books down one of the Gryffindor tables, and took her heavy bag from her shoulder. "Hermione, really you've taken on too much I'm worried about you."

Hermione's lips formed into a smile, and sat down on the bench. "Worried about me, are you?"

Ron blushed a little and sat down across from her and shrugged his shoulders. "Well yea, it's been a week and I've hardly seen you." Harry appeared, and sat down next to Ron, leaving their conversation at an exchange of smiles.

Hermione ate her soup quickly, hoping to get extra time to finish her Herbology essay before planning the Head's Meeting. Ron and Harry were busy talking about Quidditch when Ginny sat down next to Hermione. Harry dropped his fork, making a clattering noise; he swore and picked it up off of the floor.

"Hello boys, Hermione. Can you believe it's only been a week? I'm up to my ears in homework. Harry, have you arranged a time for Quidditch tryouts? I can't wait, I haven't gotten a chance to play in so long, and I can't say that playing with Ron is as much fun as playing with you" she smiled, serving herself.

Hermione saw Harry choke a bit on his soup and her stomach tightened. She couldn't tell if it was a pang of happiness or perhaps jealousness. Sure, she wanted the best for Harry-she was just a little sad she couldn't do it for him.

Ginny joined in on the boys' conversation and Hermione felt left out…yet again. She surveyed the Hall for something more interesting. Everyone seemed to be huddled into their own little groups, complaining about the heavy work load, gossiping about who grew up over summer break. Suddenly, Hermione felt she was sitting all alone- was she the only one that was concerned about life after Hogwarts? Sure, she had top grades and had the recommendations and connections of plenty of professors. Everyone saw her becoming an Auror, and she had definitely considered it. She could use her intelligence to help fight the good fight. But part of her didn't know if the path of constantly being busy and on the run was what she wanted for the rest of her life. A part of her wanted to become a Healer, and another was content on working for the Ministry.

Her gaze landed on the Slytherin table and she let out a huff. She could pick out those whose futures were set for them, doing exactly what they'd wanted since they landed at Hogwarts. The sons and daughters of Death Eaters would follow in their parents' footsteps. Malfoy sat with a grim expression on his face, not paying attention to Pansy fawning over him, or Blaise, who appeared to be arguing with him. Hermione continued to watch as Malfoy shot up, shoved his dish away, and practically ran out of the Great Hall. Hermione stood up. Harry looked at her, confused.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Hermione gathered her things and climbed off of the bench.

"I've got to go. Lots of work to do." She answered quickly, determined to see where Malfoy was going.

She didn't know why she was so compelled to follow, but some part of her was interested. She hurried to keep up with him, and found him on a path towards the Head's Room. Good, she thought. I can pretend like I was coming the Head's Room to get homework done. She saw him open the door and close it behind him. Catching her breath, she walked to the door casually, and said the password. As she opened the door, she caught a glimpse of an irate Draco Malfoy, tossing powder into the fire and disappearing.

Her jaw dropped- a Floo, in their Head's Room? What if he was going to do work for the Dark Lord? Hermione dropped her things and paced in front of the fire. She had to find him, but where could he be?

She stopped in her tracks. Why had he been outside the night she saw him outside of the window? It was worth a shot, and Hermione raced to the front door of the castle into the cool night air.

-

After searching the grounds for what seemed like an hour with her wand barely illuminated in front of her, she was shaking from the cool autumn air and about to give up her search. She had reached the Black Lake, and hadn't seen him anywhere. He could be at the Malfoy Mansion, she thought, cursing her stupidity. Here she was, running around outside like a lunatic. She walked around the lake, arms crossed on her chest to warm herself up.

Not far away, she heard the snapping of twigs coming from the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't stupid enough to go looking for him in there- she wasn't even entirely sure why she was looking for him in the first place. Hermione became suddenly aware of how alone and vulnerable she was out at night. Sure, it was Hogwarts- the supposed safest place to be. But hadn't Voldemort infiltrated the grounds before?

She saw a figure moving by the edge of the forest, kicking rocks and breaking large branches. Hermione crept towards the noise, and saw that it was indeed Malfoy. She didn't want to scare him, and cause him to curse her. She kept her wand at arm's reach and walked up confidently to him.

"Malfoy what are you doing out here? Trying to get yourself into trouble?" She cringed a little at her choice of words.

He whipped his head around, and she saw a shade of Malfoy she had never seen before. A mix of anger, frustration, and yet something much more vulnerable…

His chest heaved, and he looked like he might hit her across the face for interrupting whatever he was doing. His hair was damp with sweat, and part of his bangs clung to his forehead. His hands were shaking, and she knew it wasn't from the cold weather. Hermione wasn't frightened of many things, but as she stood feet away from him alone on the Hogwarts' grounds, she was absolutely petrified.

Too scared to move, she managed to murmur "I'm sorry," but wasn't sure it was loud enough for anyone but her to hear.

Instead of harming her there all alone, he did something Hermione prayed would happen. He turned around and walked towards the lake. Hermione stayed glued to her spot, and watched him walk slowly towards the undisturbed lake. His robe was discarded on a nearby rock already, but he didn't seem to be fazed by the weather. The rippling black collared shirt and matching black pants seemed to give him ample warmth. Standing on a large rock on the shore, he stared out across the vast watery body, lost in his own thoughts. Hermione was suddenly not so afraid.

Then, as if it were completely normal, Draco stepped into the shallow water of the lake, continuing to stare out at nothing.

Hermione knew she would achieve nothing by repeating her question. Now she didn't really care so much about the load of homework she had to do, or that Draco Malfoy was setting a bad example as Head Boy. He looked entirely comfortable standing ankle deep and fully clothed in the lake.

He began to walk along the shoreline slowly, as if battling something in his head. Hermione dared to move, and sat on the rock which Draco had recently stepped off of. Draco Malfoy completely out of his element surprised Hermione- he seemed less like an evil contriving snake, and more like a human.

She sat on the rock and watched him walk as far as she could see, then back. Her heart began to beat faster- she didn't know whether he expected her to be gone when he got back or not. He didn't make eye contact as he sloshed towards the rock. He stood in front of her and stared over her shoulder. Hermione began to scoot backward, thinking she could make a quick exit if she needed to.

And then, he sat down on the rock beside her.

Hermione tried to keep herself from shaking- she didn't know if it was from the weather or from fear. He sat with his legs dangling into the cold water below, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. The moon lit the lake, making it sparkle a deep gray. She took in the serene view, forgetting the fact that she was sitting next to someone who had made her life anything but beautiful.

Hermione dared to turn her head, looking at a person who looked nothing like the menacing prat that was Draco Malfoy. A crumpled version sat next to her on the cold rock. A shiver ran up her spine, causing her to shake violently.

Draco turned his head towards his cloak a couple rocks away. He raised his chin at it, suggesting that she should go get it. Hermione nervously got up, and went to retrieve the cloak. In mild shock he'd even let her touch it, she climbed back on the rock and sat back beside him, handing him the cloak. He shook his head and motioned that it was for her.

Is this really happening?, she thought. Did he notice that she was cold, and actually care enough to give her something to cover up? She hesitated before wrapping herself in the warmth of his cloak. She didn't dare say a word. Their silence held an air of understanding. He didn't feel the need to say anything, meaning she didn't need to say anything. After a long time, Hermione glanced at her watch and saw that hours had passed, and their Head's Meeting was set to start in less than 20 minutes. Malfoy was turned away, clutching his legs and gazing out at the rolling hills.

Hermione felt as if she weren't with Draco Malfoy, but with someone she was comfortable with. She reached out to tap his shoulder, but withdrew her hand when she realized it was Draco, and not a close friend.

Then, against better judgment, she placed her hand delicately on his shoulder. He flinched slightly, then looked her in the eyes.

"We'd better get going" Hermione whispered, standing up and removing his cloak.

"I'll be up in a minute." he said quietly, turning back to the lake.

Hermione folded his cloak and placed it on the rock beside him. Once she was far enough away from Draco, she broke into a run and didn't stop until she was safely inside the Head's Room.


	7. Head's Up

Chapter 7: AoW Challenge- i used **surprise**, **run**, **friend**, **eyes**, and **pink**

hope you like it :)

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Hermione held onto the large table in the Head's Room, panting heavily and trying to catch her breath. She shook her head and stumbled to get a glass of water. The clock on the wall read 8:50- 10 minutes until she was supposed to give a well-thought out speech to set the tone for the rest of the year. Instead, she was gasping for breath, her head spinning.

What had just happened? And more importantly, why did it feel…thrilling?

There was a knock at the door, and Hermione jumped. She straightened her robes and went to open the door.

Ginny Weasley flew in, wrapping her arms around Hermione. Her eyes widened when she saw the Head's Room.

"Hermione, I'm jealous! We don't get anything this nice, though of course you know that. Suppose that's why they make us meet here- see what it's like to live the Head's life and aspire to be better students or whatever" she said, plopping down on one of the leather chairs and propping her feet on the ottoman. "So, where's his highness?" she asked, and turned towards Hermione. "That evil git."

Hermione didn't have time to answer before there was another knock on the door. She hadn't had a second to form her thoughts for the meeting as she opened the door to the remaining prefects, looking less than excited to be attending a meeting on a Friday night. Some gave Hermione a forced "hello", and took a seat at the large oak table. Staring at her expectantly, she didn't know what to do. In a slight panic, Hermione cleared her throat and took a seat at one end of the table. Before she could get a word out, she was interrupted.

"Where's Draco?" complained a slimy looking Slytherin Hermione knew to be named Michael Baddock.

A switch seemed to go off in Hermione's head, and she snapped back into her old self.

"He had something important to do, and told me to go on without him." she smiled sweetly, to Baddock's chagrin. "He'll be here shortly." Ginny gave her a questioning look.

Hermione had to think on her feet.

"Moving on, I'll make a schedule up by Sunday for hall duty. Yes, yes, I realize some of you aren't sure of your Quidditch schedules and everything else. But the schedule will make do for a couple weeks, and you can tell your prized Captains that you are Prefects and that job comes first." Hermione saw Ginny, among other known Quidditch players, roll their eyes. She never knew _why _Quidditch was so important to them, especially with the honor of being chosen a prefect.

"Also, please don't abuse your privilege to dock points. If we find out you're doing this you could be stripped of your title." Hermione was running out of things to say. She bit her lip and glanced hopefully at the door, wondering when Draco would walk through.

"Any questions, concerns? We've been thinking about ideas for interhouse activities to promote unity. Any input would be greatly appreciated, and you can always find me in the hallway if you have ideas." Hermione smiled nervously at the group.

The girls turned to each other, chatting about-of course- holiday balls and what they would wear.

Hermione tapped her fingers on the tabletop, and exhaled a breath of relief when the door opened. Draco didn't look at Hermione when he entered; his hair no longer stuck to his skin, the ankles of his pants were dried. Only he and Hermione knew what had happened not even an hour ago. Draco sat down at the opposite end of the table and didn't speak a word, staring at the rich brown table. The Slytherins seemed to visibly brighten, as if they needed him there.

"So let's keep this short, it's a Friday. I'll send out those schedules as soon as they're made up. That's all." Hermione got out of her seat and went to open the door. When no one was looking, Hermione let out a sigh of relief that the meeting ended without disaster. Ginny mouthed something along the lines of "we need to talk later". Hermione leaned against the closed door, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. She wasn't ready to face being alone with Draco after the night's events. The room was silent, save the crackle of the fire and the wind beating against the window.

She opened her eyes to see Draco staring at the fire. Deciding it was now or never, Hermione walked over towards to collect her things that were thrown haphazardly on the ground.

"You didn't miss much, just talked about schedules and-"

"You didn't see anything" Draco murmured, continuing to stare at the fire.

Hermione paused in mid bend, turning her head towards Draco on the couch. He was still refusing to look at her; she couldn't tell if he was embarrassed and wanted to pretend it never happened, or if he was angry and going to make her pay.

"Then I told them not to abuse their power because of course they - "

"Don't you ever follow me again, Granger. You'll regret it." He stood up from the couch, stalking over towards the fire and leaning against the hearth.

"And then, when that prat Baddock asked where you were I said you had something more important to do and you'd be here eventually instead of telling him you were outside taking out your anger on TREE BRANCHES." Hermione spat in a raised tone. He locked her stare with his dark eyes; she wasn't sure if he was going to attack her again. This time she'd be ready- her anger was spilling over.

"Same mess, different year. To think I even made excuses for you. I REFUSE to run these meetings all year by myself while you disappear to wherever you go, I refuse to babysit for you and worry if you're keeping up with your end of the responsibility, you foul excuse for a person! Or, my mistake, a _pureblood prince_."

Draco whipped his head around.

"Just what are you trying to achieve here, Malfoy? Are you scheming something to make yet another year with you unbearable because you have nothing better to do with your time than obsess over my friends and me? Are you planning on making my life hell while you strut around doing whatever it is you please?" Hermione screamed, taking out 6 years of frustration with him in one argument. Draco cracked his knuckles as he stormed towards her. Hermione didn't notice any of this, possessed by her anger. She was pulling everything out of her arsenal.

"Been to Pansy's yet? Saw her all over you in the hallway after class. If you use this room for midday rendezvous I swear I will curse you all the way to China, you pig!"

She was too worked up to stop, too angry to control the things coming out our her mouth. She was visibly shaking and looked as if she might curse him at any moment. Draco was now only a foot away from her and, unlike Hermione, was stone still. He took her silence as his turn to speak, and he spoke in a menacing whisper-

"What do you care, Granger? Your 'Golden' friends getting boring and feel the need to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?"

Hermione waved her arms wildly as if imitating a Hippogryf. "And just WHAT is that supposed to mean, Malfoy? What…what does…what do you mean by that?" her voice broke as she finished the question, unable to answer his.

They stared at each other, each at their boiling point. Draco closed in on her, and she had to back up in order to not be run into.

"Exactly. Don't go passing judgment- you're not little Ms. Perfect anymore, Granger. You're not fooling anyone."

- _3 months later _-

"Hermione, are you alright? Hermione?" Harry nudged Hermione, causing her to jump and knock over her glass of pumpkin juice.

"Damn" she muttered, putting her hand on her forehead as Harry took out his wand to clean up the mess. He put his arm around her shoulder and gave an affectionate squeeze.

"Something up? You've been barely there all week. Have you been sleeping?"

Hermione looked at him and gave a feeble smile. Truth was, she hadn't been getting much of any sleep since she school had started. Three months in, and she was struggling just to get dressed in the morning. Between weekly meetings with McGonagall, keeping up with the Prefects, along with hall duty, homework, studying for N.E.W.T.s, trying to help Harry with Horcruxes, and planning for life after Hogwarts, she was barely surviving.

If she did find the time to sleep, her mind refused to lay still. Though Harry's spare time was often consumed with being Quidditch Captain, she did catch him wandering the halls aimlessly, or sitting in the Common Room in the early hours of the morning, staring at the fire. She worried about him constantly- being who he was, the constant threat of being killed, and of course his ongoing, albeit secret, crush on Ginny.

Ron was completely unaware of it, as he was many things. He'd been too busy soaking up his new found fame as a Beater. Hermione had given up going to watch them practice, since- without fail- every time she went, there was a group of giggling girls gushing about how good-looking and talented Ron was. She'd grown quite tired of hearing his name in the hallways Lavender didn't dare go down that path again, but that didn't stop other girls from trying to get into his robes. They had to move on to someone new to obsess over anyway, since Draco seemed to have disappeared.

That kept Hermione up the most. Except for his desk in class, he couldn't be found anywhere. He managed to show up for their meetings with McGonagall and con her into thinking that everything was going well, then hurrying out before Hermione could open her mouth. Though if she could get a word in, she wasn't sure what she would say. The last time they had formally spoke on something besides Head's business was the blow up in the Head's Room.

What he'd said had bothered Hermione everyday since that evening. What did he mean she wasn't the same person? Of course she was the same! She was still the hardworking, top student she always was. Just what did he think she was now? Sure, her friends had taken to their own personal lives, sharing less with her and taking matters more into their own hands, but they were growing up and would still be the trio they'd always been.

Right?

"Yeah, yeah I'm alright. Just tired is all. I was up late last night finishing that work for Snape, and charming all of my quills to make interest sheets for the Ball and inter-house activities. It was trickier than I thought it would be- occasionally a quill would write everything backwards and I'd have to start all over again. And I have to meet with Malfoy later and plan the Holiday Ball." She paused and let out a tired sight. "It's actually been quite nice, him hardly being around. Makes my life a lot less difficult." she lied.

Harry finished up his steak and kidney pie, and collected his things.

"I'm glad to hear it. The less we see that git, the better. Have you seen Ron? We're supposed to get together and talk about tomorrow's game with the team but I haven't seen him except for in class."

Hermione rolled her eyes and twirled her spoon in her potatoes. "Can't say that I have. Probably with Susan-Melinda- or is it Lauren?" Harry let out a laugh and tucked in his shirt.

"It's _Laura_, that Hufflepuff. And you're probably right. Just hope he remembers to drag his big head down to the Quidditch fields of I'll have to put him on probation and he'll lose his fan club. Come by the Common Room later though, maybe we can all hang out and have a chance to finally relax."

As Harry walked away, Hermione sighed and gave up on eating. She doubted hanging out would actually happen. Something would come up- a late night walk with Ginny, or drinking Firewhiskey with the boys- whatever it would be, she was sure she her presence would not be appreciated.

The Great Hall was clearing out, except for the few stragglers hoping to catch a bite before the house elves cleared away the food. Hermione saw Ginny and Luna come through the doors, Ginny giving Harry a coy smile as he passed by. Hermione had suddenly lost her appetite.

"Hey Hermione, I haven't seen you in ages." Ginny sat down on the bench across from her, and pulled over a platter of turkey, taking a healthy helping. "It's bloody freezing outside. Luna and I nearly froze walking from the greenhouses."

Hermione gave a noncommittal shrug and sipped her tea. Ginny leaned across the table, grinning.

"Talk of the halls is the Holiday Ball. Those flyers did the trick, though the one I read appeared to be written over upside down?"

Hermione huffed at her own stupidity. She thought she'd checked them all…

"Anyway, I heard that Michael Corner is going to ask Parvati. I mean, really? Her?" Ginny said with an air of disgust.

Hermione wasn't in the mood to listen to Ginny complain about boys. Ginny didn't take her lack of response as a hint to stop.

"But he was the past, and so in with the new!" Ginny exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air to make her point. "The month before Balls is always so much fun…figuring out how people _really _feel about each other. Hopefully someone will ask me-" Ginny surveyed the room as if looking for a potential date. Hermione took this chance to roll her eyes and stand up.

"Well, I have to go find Malfoy and go over some details for the dance. See you later, then."

As predicted, Malfoy was no where to be found at dinner. Hermione turned down the hall and ran straight into Ron…or what she thought was Ron. It was more like a sea of red and blonde hair. Hermione coughed, praying she wasn't choking on someone's hair.

"Oh! Hermione." Ron said, obviously flustered and confused as to what had just happened. Hermione stood there confused as well, picking up her dropped bag. The girl she'd just learned was Laura looked at her mildly disgusted, and though infrequent for her at Hogwarts, she'd found herself in an awkward social situation.

"How..how are..what's up?" Ron asked pathetically. Hermione coughed again to fill the empty space.

"Just leaving, don't want to interrupt." she said shortly, and as she turned down the hall, she broke into a slight run.

'The nerve of Ron!' She thought to herself. Since when did he have this new found confidence, purely because he thought he was good at Quidditch? So much for real confidence based on the fact that he was a good friend, and would stick up for what he believed in. Hermione was practically fuming by the time she reached the Head's Room. Of course she wasn't jealous of the poor girl, she was just…angry.

"5 points from Hufflepuff for snogging in the hallways" she said aloud to no one, smirking a little as she imagined the gems being removed from their hourglass. So she told the prefects not to abuse their power- Head Girl had to come with _some_ perks. She shouted 'puppies', not caring if someone heard the password, and slammed the door behind her.

"Stupid prat, probably placed himself there so people would see him practically undressing her in the hallway! Thinks he's so great." Hermione scoffed and threw her bag against the wall.

"I'm right here, Granger. " Draco was laying on one of the couches by the fire.

Hermione jumped a little and held her chest. "Jesus, Malfoy, you scared me half to death."

Draco looked up from his Potions book . "Then that leaves me only half to go."

Hermione scowled, and was surprised to see the corner of Draco's mouth lift as if he had just made a joke and not a serious death threat. She shook her head and grabbed a piece of spare parchment and a quill off of the table.

"Okay, Malfoy, now that we're in the same room we need to discuss this Holiday Ball. I've already given Dobby a list of hors devours to have ready before the dance. We still need to arrange music and it's only-" she counted the days in her head, pointing at an imaginary calendar in the air "- 3 weeks away…oh shit." Hermione put one hand over her mouth, the other tapping her quill against the parchment. She couldn't believe it was only 3 weeks.

Draco laid his book down on his chest and rubbed his eyes. "I've taken care of it."

Excuse me?

"You've taken care of it? What does that mean?" she asked. How had he even known they needed one? She thought he barely listened to her.

He let out an obvious sigh of annoyance.

"That means, Granger, that I knew some people who could do it, ran it by McGonagall, and it's all set. What else is left to plan?"

Hermione was awe-struck. She stared at him lounging on the couch, one arm behind his head, and for a minute wanted to run over and hug him.

"Did you hear me, or are you deaf and dumb?" he asked, tossing the book on the coffee table and sitting up.

"Oh shut up." Hermione said before she could catch herself. She nervously looked at him, only to see him raising his eyebrows but saying nothing. She decided her best tactic was to keep talking- what she was good at.

"We'll need to meet with the prefects and brief them on their responsibility while at the dance- that it is still a school event and that they should keep an eye out for any suspicious activity."

"Like what" he interrupted "having fun? Letting loose for a second?"

"What's that supposed to mean? That I don't have fun?" she asked, her temper threatening to rise.

"If the shoe fits, Granger."

She stood up and marched over to his side of the room.

"Not that I have to prove anything to you, but I do have fun, Malfoy. Just because that doesn't involve sleeping with everyone possible doesn't mean I don't have fun."

Draco looked as if he'd had the wind knocked out of him.

"Oh and what is that supposed to mean, Granger? Think all I do is shag every girl who looks at me?" he walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed a finger sandwich the house elves left as a snack.

"Well, if the pants fit, Malfoy."

He shrugged his shoulders and walked back over to the couch. "I told you twice you don't know me at all. Of course why would you, with your head shoved so far up-"

"Waaait a minute Malfoy- I don't want to see where that's going." Hermione interrupted, waving her hand at the image that was about to come out of his mouth.

There was a knock on the door, and Draco went to answer it. Sticking his head out of the small crack, Hermione couldn't see who it was but knew once he spoke that it was Blaise.

"I haven't seen you in forever, mate. Been busy with Pans?"

"No we're done and you know that. Humor doesn't work on you." Draco said coolly

"Fine fine. Well we were all meeting, you know. To discuss certain things- it's been awhile. Thought I'd try here to see if I could find you."

Draco paused before answering. "No, I'm busy."

With that, Draco closed the door and turned back to Hermione.

"Food, music, prefects…what else?"

Hermione stood behind the couch silently, leaning on it for support. Draco snapped his fingers hastily.

"What else, Granger?" He resumed his place on the couch and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Hermione was too busy thinking about what had just happened to answer his question. Why had he refused to go with Blaise- his supposed closest friend? The Malfoy she knew would have seized the first opportunity to get out of talking to her and doing Head's Duties. The wheels started to turn in her head, and she began to wonder if Draco had been a ghost to _everyone_ at Hogwarts these past couple of months. He probably had been escaping the confinements of the castle through the fireplace. Hermione chuckled to herself- using the fireplace sounded like a good idea to get away from her tiring friends.

"Granger will you please stop talking to the voices in your head and join us back in reality?" Draco was standing in front of her, waving his hand in her face.

"Why didn't you go with Blaise?" she asked before thinking twice.

He stared at her unflinchingly, then squinted.

"Why does it matter to you?" he asked.

Hermione tried to act as casual as possible, but for whatever reason really was curious to know.

"Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy. No one is that interested in your life."

"Oh really?" he asked rhetorically, refusing to blink. "If you're so uninterested, then why do you follow me around?"

Hermione's eyes opened as wide as they could. She could feel another confrontation coming on.

"I most certainly do NOT follow you around, Malfoy- you think so highly of yourself it's nauseating! Like anyone thinks you're more important than the scum on their shoe!"

Draco closed in on her, looking like he would curse her- yet, he was intrigued.

"Then pray tell, Granger, why did you come looking for me after I left dinner that night?" he whispered.

Hermione seemed out of her body- as if in an intimate conversation with one of her closest friends.

"How do you know I was looking for you, not that I was out patrolling the grounds for shady figures lurking around with no apparent purpose?"

Hermione was keeping the best poker face she could while trying not to run into anything. Draco kept walking towards her, and she wanted to maintain a safe distance away from him. Draco was grinning maliciously, and she knew he was going to insult her.

"Because, Granger, I saw your bushy head racing back and forth down the hallways through the window. It's so large it's hard _not _to see it."

Hermione changed the direction of their slow waltz around the room, making Draco have to backstep.

"Been watching me, have you?" she asked boldly, putting the conversation in her favor.

He shrugged ever so casually, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Have to keep an eye on you and your delinquent friends. Always getting your noses in things you know nothing about."

Hermione laughed out loud.

"Forgive me, oh noble one, but last time I checked I've been the top student since" -she pointed at her fake calendar and looked satisfied- "first year!"

"You should know that getting top grades doesn't make you smart, Granger. Just makes you a boring old prude who sits alone all day and night slaving away to get grades that don't have to pretend to be your friend." Draco said coolly, though he meant it to sting.

Hermione pointed at his chest, placing her index finger on his crisp green and black tie.

"Sits alone all day and night? Are we referring to me, or you?"

Draco looked down at her finger touching him. She was surprised he hadn't backed away in disgust, but didn't want to push her luck. She let it slide down the smooth silk, and waited for his next volley.

"And again I ask" he approached her "why did you follow me that night?"

Hermione felt relaxed and tense all at once. Her cloudy head couldn't find a reason to lie to him.

"I was…interested."

His eyebrows raised, and the corner of his mouth curled into a wild grin. Hermione cut him off before he could make some snide comment.

"Not in you, but where you were going."

Draco chuckled and walked at Hermione, altering their route.

"No one else followed me. What'd you tell your Precious Potter and Weasley- had homework to do?"

She cringed slightly- was she that predictable?

"Well I didn't think saying I was going to look for you for no good reason would go very well."

They fell silent. Hermione was leaning against the tall leather chair, and Draco was mere inches in front of her. Hermione finally spoke in a light, yet confident whisper.

"Well, I have a whole night of sitting alone and throwing myself into my homework ahead of me. I'll need to get on that if I plan on getting top grades and having no friends."

She thought she saw him smile faintly, and somehow his recently gaunt and sullen face seemed to brighten a little- a pale pink returning to his skin as if his blood had begun to circulate again. He ran his hand through his white blonde hair, and spoke in his usual dark tone-

"Well, I have a night full of sitting alone by the Black Lake, then heading back to the comfort of an empty room to sit and think about how great I am."

Hermione let out a little laugh, much preferring this conversation to the usual bickering. Draco's small smile faded away, and was replaced with a more serious stare. Though the fire had died down, Hermione felt flushed.

The room was silent. Draco looked at Hermione's delicate mouth, and closed the space between them. Hermione looked into his eyes, her heart pounding out of her chest.

And after what felt like eternity, Draco leant down and delicately kissed her mouth.


	8. Not Ready

Chapter 8 for AoW Challenge. i used **midnight**, **tears**, **surprise**_, _**run**, **eyes**, and **friend**.

thanks for all the reviews :) hope you like it

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Hermione sat in the dark red reading chair by the window in her room, wrapped in an afghan. She stared out the window into the dark night sky, lit only by a few twinkling stars and a half moon. It was nearing midnight, and though Hermione hadn't gotten much sleep all week, she was wide awake.

The solace of her room was a sweet escape from the evening's events. One minute, she's bickering with Malfoy like they always have- the next minute, he's kissing him, and she's letting it happen. She shook her head clear of the thought, but to no avail.

She had kissed Draco Malfoy.

A knock at the door disturbed her thoughts, and she got up to answer it. On the other side stood a nervous looking Ron.

"Hi. I was hoping I would find you here."

Hermione looked at Ron, surprised it was him at the door. Not that she had been expecting anyone..

"Yes, I'm a little surprised you knew how to get here. I haven't seen much of you recently."

Ron snorted, and started to enter the room. Hermione moved aside to let him in.

"You coming to our game tomorrow?" he asked, sitting in the chair she had gotten out of. Hermione took a seat on the edge of her bed and clutched the afghan tight.

"Yes, of course. Against Hufflepuff, right? So it shouldn't be difficult."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, hopefully a big crowd."

There was an awkward silence, in which Hermione's mind wandered away from Ron and Quidditch, and more onto Malfoy and the Head's Room. He'd probably deny that it ever happened, just like the night by the lake. Hermione let out a sigh. Now she had another thing to add to her reasons she had trouble sleeping.

"You seem tired. I'll just go. I thought I would just stop by, make sure you were coming to the match tomorrow." Ron said, standing up and walking slowly towards the door.

Hermione opened it up and leaned against the doorframe. "I will be there. Nice to see you. Whenever your busy schedule of Quidditch and girlfriend hopping dies down, we should get together with Harry." She gave a faint smile.

Ron looked sullen, and walked out into the corridor. "I miss you, Hermione."

Hermione looked at Ron, tired of excuses . "Yes" she said, and closed the door with extra force.

-

Draco walked casually down the hallway, with no destination in mind. He just needed to escape that damned room.

He didn't know what had made him do it. She was Hermione Granger, the bane of his existence at Hogwarts. The know-it-all Gryffindor Queen who wasn't happy unless everyone else was wrong.

Draco rubbed his forehead hard, hoping to push the thoughts out of his head. His feet had led him to the Slytherin Common Room- a place where he used to find solace…mostly because everyone was afraid of him. He chuckled as he walked down the staircase- that was one thing he could always count on.

He spotted Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and Millicent in a circle of chairs by a large portrait of Salazar Slytherin. Pansy looked up and saw him, smiling widely and standing up to greet him. Draco inwardly groaned.

"Draco! I didn't think you'd show up." She wrapped her arms around him. Draco didn't move a muscle. Blaise pulled up another chair, snickering at the scene.

"Here, Draco. Join us." Draco took the seat beside Blaise, purposely seating himself on the side opposite from Pansy.

Blaise turned towards Draco, folding his hands in thought.

"We were just talking about Goyle's dad. Had a talk with him the other weekend at Hogsmeade." Blaise had lowered his voice, obviously not wanting to be heard by the few stragglers hanging out in the Common Room before bed.

Draco raised his eyebrow in interest. "About?"

Goyle shifted in his seat. "He has some work for me to do over Christmas Break."

The group all knew what "work" meant. It was only a matter of months before they would be adults out in the wizarding world. It was understood what they would do, or at least who they'd be working for.

Goyle turned to Draco. "He said he'd talked to you father the other day. We're all meeting at your place over the holiday." He glanced around the room, then leaned in close to the group. "He might be there."

Draco's eyes grew wide. Pansy put her hand over her mouth. Blaise leaned back casually in his chair, crossing his legs- as if this old news to him.

Draco looked out the charmed window in the dungeon. The news came with only a little surprise to him. The Dark Lord had taken refuge in the Malfoy Manor a few times before. Draco would watch him from the top of the stairs, sweeping in and immediately disappearing into a large room off of the foyer used only for his presence. Draco's mother would herd all the wives into the dining room, where the house elves would have food and wine to keep them busy while their husbands discussed what they would do for their Lord.

"Reckon we'll get to sit in on this one" Blaise commented, murmuring a charm. Moments later, a bottle of elf made wine and 6 glasses floated down from the boy's rooms. He played with the stem of the glass as the bottle went around to the group. Draco put his glass on the side table.

"It's not like we've done anything to prove we can join." he said.

Blaise chuckled and knocked back his glass. "Speak for yourself, Draco. My father brought me along on some trips this summer." He gave Draco a look of superiority. Draco stared back at him- no one tried to one-up Draco Malfoy.

"How interesting, Blaise." Pansy whispered seductively. Blaise winked at her, then smiled at Draco.

Draco's insides turned. He downed his glass and slammed it on the side table. The bottle floated over to refill his empty glass.

-

-

-

Hermione wrapped her Gryffindor scarf around her neck as she left her room. The halls were mostly empty- students were either choosing to sleep in on the chilly Saturday, or they were outside for the Quidditch match. She wasn't feeling particularly excited about going, but she had to support her best friends. Though Ron was going through an obnoxious phase, and Harry was more reclusive than usual, they were still the closest friends in her life, and she loved them through it all.

"Hello, Hermione." An airy voice said. Hermione turned to see Luna, complete with her enormous lion hat/head.

Hermione smiled warmly. "Hello, Luna. Excited for the match?"

"Oh yes. I hope Ron and Harry play well. Of course they always do."

They walked across the frozen grass, crunching towards the pitch. Hermione was contemplating leaving early if the Snitch wasn't caught quickly- it was almost unbearably cold. She and Luna found seats with Neville as the players walked onto the field. Hermione smiled. Harry looked handsome in his uniform, ready to play. It was one of the only times he could exist without having to worry about life. Ron waved at the crowd, to tremendous applause from a section of screaming girls.

"He's gotten quite popular hasn't he?" Luna asked rhetorically.

The match began, and Gryffindor quickly took the lead. Hermione looked around the stands at the cheering students. She loved the feeling of Quidditch matches. Everyone seemed to forget the stresses of school and have a good time.

Everyone, it seemed, but Malfoy. Hermione saw him across the pitch, surrounded by his usual gang of Slytherins. He was barely watching the match, looking at his watch frequently as if the match was a waste of his time. An owl carrying a letter swooped down and landed on Pansy's shoulder, poking it's head towards Malfoy. Hermione laughed a little as she saw Pansy scream and swat the owl away. She could see Malfoy mouth something obviously nasty, and take the letter from the owl's foot. It pecked Pansy hard on the head, causing her to burst into tears and run off.

Sometimes there is justice in the world, Hermione thought to her self.

She continued to watch as Malfoy opened the letter and read it. His brow furrowed, and he shoved the parchment quickly inside his robes. Hufflepuff had scored a goal, and those around Malfoy began to cheer. He maintained his stony expression, and looked increasingly angry. Hermione missed Dean score a goal as she watched Malfoy storm out of the stands.

"Something wrong, Hermione?" Luna asked.

She shook her head. "No, no, I just remembered I have to prepare something that I'm supposed to give McGonagall after the match. Let me know how it goes though."

Luna smiled as Hermione exited the stands.

Hermione didn't know what exactly kept making her follow Malfoy, but there was something in that letter that had particularly upset him, and she was eager to find out. She could just see him in the distance, hurrying away from the cheering crowd.

Hermione pulled her scarf up around her face against the icy wind that had begun to blow. He appeared to be heading towards the Forbidden Forest. Hermione looked behind her to make sure no one was watching or following them. Apparently his so-called friends didn't chase after him.

The sounds of the game were distant as Hermione saw Draco finally stop and squat down, raking his hair with his hands. She stopped a safe distance away, not wanting him to know she was there just yet. If he was going to get violently angry, she could make a quick run for the school. He began to pace in a circle. Hermione stepped softly towards him, arms crossed on her chest.

Draco whipped his head around, hearing her approaching. She didn't say anything, waiting to see how he'd react to her following him. His chest heaved underneath his heavy coat.

"Everything okay?" she asked through chattering teeth.

He stared at her as if she was insane.

"Okay? OKAY?" he yelled. Hermione didn't move an inch.

"Be happy you live your precious little sheltered life with your Golden Boy Potter and that prat Weasley where your biggest problem is which one you fancy more. Drowning yourself in homework and being Head Girl. As if this stupid Ball is that important. You'll come back here as soon as you bloody can to be the next tight-ass McGonagall."

He was fuming, still pacing in a circle. Hermione had no idea what caused him to yell at her about this, but he wasn't going to get away with it.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, Malfoy? You don't know a damn thing about me. You hypocrite!" she spat, looking him dead in the eyes.

Malfoy stormed over to her, shaking not from the cold, but from anger. He spoke in a very low tone.

"Go live your happy little mudblood life, and get the hell away from me."

Hermione pushed him away from her, causing him to trip backwards.

"You fool! If we're going to battle over who lives a cushier life, then I'm pretty sure you take the bloody cake!" she towered over him, sprawled out on the cold ground.

"Go run to your daddy like you always do. Complain about everything that doesn't go your way. Then have your foul father take care of things the same way you do, by bullying people into doing things."

Draco had stood up, brushing dirt off of his coat. He looked like he might try and kill her right there and then.

Hermione coughed, her throat frozen from screaming. She turned away to catch her breath. Draco seized the opportunity to speak

"Don't you even-"

Hermione whipped around. "My happy little life?" she began to pace just as he had.

"You think getting called a mudblood by you Slytherin prats makes me happy? Being constantly worried for my family because of people like your Father and all the other Death Eaters?" she pushed him again, overcome with emotion.

"That because I'm friends with Harry Potter, I am constantly watching my back? And now you can go off and join your NOBLE father in their pathetic fight to wipe out us dirty bloods." A single tear ran down her cheek, but she remained completely composed.

Malfoy still looked as angry as he did when she found him. She punched him hard in the chest. More tears from anger escaped her eyes.

"And just think. Maybe in a few years, when I'm resting peacefully in my happy little home, you can blast down my door in your black outfit and kill me yourself."

They both stood facing each other, their breath making steamy clouds in front of their mouths.

Hermione collapsed to the ground, exhausted from their argument, and devastated by what she had just said because she knew it was all true. She hadn't ever said it out loud, to anyone. But saying it here, to Malfoy, under a cloudy, freezing winter sky, it all sunk in as the reality that it was.

Draco walked away from her. "Might take a few years longer than that." He muttered, barely audible.

Hermione looked up. She saw him standing a few meters away, his back turned towards her.

"What?"

He looked up towards the sky and turned around, taking the letter out of his robes. "It means that you can rest easy for awhile."

He threw the note on the ground and started back for the castle.

Hermione stayed sitting on the ground, watching him fade in the distance. The note blew towards her, and she unfolded it.

_Draco,_

_I'm sure you've become aware of Christmas. You are not ready. I've been told this, and I agree. You haven't shown me you are capable of anything besides grades. They won't help you. Needless to say, don't plan on showing up this holiday._

_Lucius_

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	9. Beginnings

Chapter 9 for AoW Challenge...

enjoy!

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Draco slammed the door to his room, causing an echo to bounce off the cold dungeon walls. He stood in place, breathing heavily and trying not to do anything rash.

Tried, and failed.

Draco wiped everything off his desk in one swoop, sending piles of books, parchment, quills, and inkwells crashing to the floor. He tore down his bed hangings, kicked over his side table, then threw water on all of the torches lit in his room.

How dare he, Draco thought. How dare he tell me not only am I not ready to go with him on assignments, but I can't come home for break.

Draco felt in his pocket for his wand, then decided not to clean up the mess. He flung himself on his bed and stared at the dark stone ceiling. He certainly wasn't going to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. Especially not while knowing his friends were at his house, possibly sitting in on meetings with the Dark Lord.

Draco snorted. And Granger thought _her _life was difficult.

-

Hermione walked quickly back towards the Quidditch pitch, clutching the note in her hand.

She didn't know what exactly to make of it. It was obviously referring to work for Voldemort. But his dad said he wasn't ready…whatever that meant. And what was happening on Christmas?

Students were pouring out of the stands, heading back to the warmth of the dormitories. It was a clear Gryffindor victory; she saw the team holding up Ron on their shoulders. Not too far behind were girls hoping to follow them back for celebration. Harry caught sight of her, and came over. He smiled and pulled her into a sweaty hug, which Hermione welcomed happily.

"Where'd you come from?" he asked, looking over her shoulder. Hermione tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, avoiding his eyes.

"Oh, I had to get something ready for McGonagall- we're supposed to have a meeting here…soon…so I only caught the first half. How did it go?" trying to direct the conversation away from where'd she been.

"Great, won only by 40, but Ron as you can see did pretty well." They looked at Ron waving his hands in the air shouting something along the lines of "Another good hit from Ron Weasley!"

Hermione laughed. "Yes, well, he has let it get to his head a little."

Harry nodded, entering the castle and heading towards to Common Room. There was an uproar of cheer as she and Harry climbed through the portrait hole. Someone had put up a banner that read "Gryffindor (soon to be) Champions!" in large red and gold letters. Seamus brought them both Butterbeers and guided them into the party.

She spotted Ron in the corner with his girlfriend, so close together that it was hard to see where one began and the other ended.

Hermione felt something pull in her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Something about seeing Ron, something about seeing them together made her feel lost in the sea of people around her, completely disconnected. Harry, Ginny, and Neville were laughing on a nearby couch. Dean and Seamus were toasting glasses of Firewhiskey. Parvati was whispering something into Lavender's ear, grinning at some of the team members.

Hermione finished her Butterbeer and slipped out of the room. The scene was suffocating. How could a place that used to make her feel so calm make her feel like she was suffocating? She hurried down the hall, deciding that she would try and get some work done in the Head's Room.

Either that, or curl up on the couch and stare blankly into the flames.

She pushed open the door to see Malfoy sitting in front of the flames, finishing his glass of wine and holding it out to be refilled. He looked up as she closed the door and stood there.

"Take a chair, Granger." He knocked back his glass and awaited the charmed bottle to refill his glass.

"Are you drunk, Malfoy?" she asked rhetorically, walking over to the couch opposite him. "You know, I could get you in serious trouble for that. Finally get you out of my hair." Her one Butterbeer had made her feel a little warm, and wasn't in the mood to put up fronts around Malfoy.

He leaned his head back and let out a sigh. "McGonagall would never believe you. How do you think I've stayed here all these years without getting expelled, Granger? I am a fantastic liar." He stood up and went over to the kitchenette, getting a glass.

"And I can smell the remnants of a party on you, so don't make me rat you out." He tossed her the glass and waved the bottle over to her.

"So you've been drinking alone, Malfoy. I think you've hit a new low." Hermione said, allowing her judgment to take a backseat and taking a sip of wine.

"Well, just fulfilling the role I've been given." he said seriously, running his finger along the rim of the glass. Hermione tensed a little, unsure of what to say. She caught his stare, raising her glass to her mouth to cover her face.

"So, why aren't you off celebrating your pathetic house's victory over the only team worse than theirs?"

Hermione raised her glass, beckoning the bottle to come over her way. "Those who put down others only do so cause they think poorly of themselves."

Malfoy snorted and laid down on the couch. "Funny, Granger. I hear you calling me all sorts of names. Have a little confidence problem, do we?"

Hermione held her stomach and laughed sarcastically. "Ha ha, Malfoy. You're so funny. So charming!"

Her head was growing increasingly cloudy.

Malfoy smirked. "I always knew you couldn't resist me, Granger."

Hermione smiled, stumbling as she stood up. "So true, so true. Because it was _I_ who kissed _you_, Malfoy. You are so right."

Draco looked at her as serious as he could considering his current state. "Malfoy's never admit they're wrong."

Hermione took off cloak, throwing it on the meeting table and hoisting herself on top. "So you're saying it was wrong. I mean, kissing a Mudblood like me could ruin you. Now you're tainted" her voice began to shake. As quickly as she was warm, she turned cold.

Malfoy got off of the couch, walking over towards her.

"You know I meant that I was wrong about being able to resist you"

Hermione's chest heaved as she dangled her legs over the side. "Whatever, it…what?" she looked up, to see him standing a foot away. He tugged at his tie, loosening it from his neck. Hermione sat up straighter, leaning forward in disbelief.

"You think I'm filth- lower than filth." she exclaimed. This was all too confusing; did he actually _mean _to kiss her? It wasn't a mistake?

Malfoy ran his hands through his blonde hair and shook his head. "I don't know." He murmured.

Hermione snorted, amused to see Malfoy confused. "Oh, so now you change your mind? Now you don't think I'm just a dirty muggle born who is ruining the name of wizardry because you pureblooded fools think that you rule the world?"

Draco paced the room, refusing to look at Hermione, who was still sitting on the table.

"You know, I don't get you. You're right- I don't know anything about you. One minute you're threatening to curse me, the next…" she trailed off, kicking the air out of frustration. "the next you're someone I completely wouldn't expect."

"Yeah" he said simply, walking back over to her at the table. "I don't know, Granger. I'm not apologizing. I'm not saying I didn't mean it all. But" -he pushed her hair out of her face- "there's something here."

Hermione put her hand on his chest. "It shouldn't be you."

Draco leaned in, kissed her briefly, then pulled away long enough to whisper "But it is."


	10. Caught Up

Short Chapter 10 for AoW Challenge.

Bad News: i'm leaving the country for a month

Good News: i'll have my laptop and can hopefully keep updating. Don't forget about the story- i have every intention of keeping it going.

thanks again for the reviews :) enjoy!

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Hermione stared into the fire, just like she thought she would a few hours ago. What she never would have imagined, was that it was on the slow rise and fall of a sleeping Draco Malfoy's chest. By what she could see out of the window, it was approaching evening and dinner time, but she had no reason to move. Nothing in the Great Hall was worth leaving that couch.

The only other times she'd taken a nap on a couch with a boy was Ron. There was no secluded place for her and Krum to share anything more than a kiss. This was completely different.

Draco stirred, tightening his grip around her waist and falling back into his rhythmic breathing. Hermione looked at his pale, peaceful face. She didn't want to over think what they were doing. He had kissed her, and the rest was history. He treated her delicately, kissing her slowly and lightly, moving her slowly to the couch. She didn't feel the need to play hard to get- he could have her now. Though she couldn't trust what he was doing when she wasn't with him, or where he stood in the scheme of good and bad, she could trust he wasn't going to pull out his wand and do something to harm her. He'd run his fingers through her thick brown hair, making sure not to pull. She felt herself relax, knowing that for whatever reason he wouldn't try to pull up her shirt or tug on her tights. Sure he was Draco Malfoy, but with her he seemed to drop the act he put on for the rest of Hogwarts.

"Been awake long?" a raspy voice asked, startling Hermione out of her thoughts. She smiled, looking at his half opened eyes.

"About as long as you've been asleep." She nestled her head into the crook of his neck, closing her eyes.

Draco yawned lazily. Hermione let out a small giggle. She enjoyed seeing the usually well-kept Malfoy relaxed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Think we've missed dinner, though."

Draco shrugged, pushing her hair out of her face. "Eh. The joys of being a Head. The house elves would give us their leg if we wanted."

Hermione looked up, her smile gone. Draco smirked.

"I'm kidding, Granger. Take a joke. I'll pay them a sickle if that'll keep you from hexing me to…where was it you threatened me before…China?"

Hermione laughed. "Oh, shut up will you."

Draco grinned, leaning in the give her a slow kiss. Hermione let out a sigh, and put her head back on his chest. "We don't have to move, do we?" she groaned. He stifled another yawn.

"Afraid so. Hall Duty." He sat up slowly.

Hermione stood up as well, flattening her skirt and reaching for her cloak. "Well then, we still have some things to work out for the ball." She looked over at him, letting him make the potentially awkward decision.

"Right…well, we can get to that later. Late tonight maybe." He stated rather nonchalantly, retying his tie. He walked back over to her, wearing his trademark smirk. "But I'd rather do other things." He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in for a last goodbye kiss. Hermione tried not to grin like those stupid girls who followed around Ron.

"You don't want to leave me hanging later, Granger." he said, opening the door.

She crossed her arms, and tried to imitate his expression. "We'll see." Draco let out a laugh, closing the door behind him.

-

Draco roamed the halls, not paying much attention to the people passing by. He had more important things to think about- like Hermione Granger. He smirked as he walked down the staircase. Sure, she wasn't pureblood, but she was damned smarter than many purebloods he knew. Even if she did choose to showcase it whenever she could, he found being around her the most interesting company he'd had in awhile. It didn't hurt that she wanted to hook up whenever he did.

"Oi, Draco."

Blaise was running up behind him out of breath. Draco looked him over. "Bit out of shape, are we?"

Blaise glared at him, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I've been trying to catch up with you but you wouldn't bloody answer me when I called your name."

Draco shrugged. "Didn't hear you."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I have important news."

Draco knew this conversation was meant to be private, dipping into an alcove. Blaise leaned in close.

"They've gotten in the Ministry." He whispered. Draco stiffened.

"I bet this meeting over Christmas will be more important than we thought." Blaise still didn't know of the letter Draco's father had written. Draco wasn't going to tell Blaise, especially not now.

"We're meeting tonight, far side of the Black Lake. All of us."

Blaise looked almost devilish- a grin seemed to take over most of his face.

Draco stared at his friend, giving him a curt nod and walking down the dark corridor.


	11. Fall At Your Feet

it's been soooo long since i've updated and i'm really sorry- but i have no intention of giving up on this story! i still have another chapter after this one to post, but i want to double check it before posting :) thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story! i will be updating very soon :)

for AoW Challenge: i used **circle**,** eyes**,** young**,** pink**,** midnight**,** tears**,** burn**,and** snow**

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Draco slipped out of Hogwarts unnoticed. The frigid air beat against his pale skin as he hurried towards the Lake. He saw them all together in their tight knit circle. The Death Eater's young elite, at Hogwarts not to pick a career path- they already had that- but to keep a watch on the activities at the school.

Draco approached the group and sat on a fallen tree. "Nowhere warmer we could have met?" he asked rhetorically, rubbing his hands together. Blaise smirked and removed his cloak, placing it over Pansy's shivering shoulders. "Don't be such a Hufflepuff, Malfoy." Draco visibly stiffened- since when did Blaise think he could put _him _down? Before he could hiss something nasty, Blaise spoke up.

"So now that we're all here, anyone received anymore news?"

Crabbe grunted what Draco knew was a no. Goyle, who was taking a long swig from him pocket flask, looked at them confused. "Huh?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "And you, Draco? My father says he's been at your place a lot recently." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Been talking a lot with the Dark Lord."

Draco hadn't heard anything from his father since the news of him not being welcome at home anymore.

"Nothing, then?" Blaise asked, smiling. He was reveling in his new role of leader.

Draco grabbed the flask from Goyle. "Yes you prat. He wanted me to leave here immediately, but with being Head Boy, I didn't want to raise suspicion and risk Potter and his loyal army getting any hint of what's happening." Something pulled in his chest. Blaise wasn't buying it, but he let it drop.

Millicent, who until this point had been wringing her hands at the edge of the group, spoke up. "Don't think many of us will be back after holiday." Draco finished Goyle's flask and threw it back at him, bouncing off his chest and landing on the ground with a thud.

Blaise closed his eyes with a menacing grin on his face. "Yes, I don't think I will. My father already has me lined up with some…jobs." He laughed at his own joke. "If anyone hears anything, we should convene again." Blaise stood up and took Pansy's hand. "We bid you all a good night." he said smoothly. Draco could have sworn he heard him say "I know I will" as Pansy giggled, climbing up the frost hill to the castle.

Goyle had snuck out another flask, trying to hide it from Draco's sight. Draco snatched it out of his hands and took off for the castle.

--

Hermione gazed into the fire in the Head's Room. Crookshanks was sleeping peacefully on the couch beside her. She'd been sitting on that couch for the past 3 hours. Waiting.

The clock chimed 12 times. He's….not….coming, she told herself as each chime sounded. She didn't want to think where he was.

She stood up and walked over to the large wood table, sitting at her usual spot. Her school books were neatly stacked in front of her. The ink on her Potions essay had long dried. She kept making up tasks to do, to prove to herself that she wasn't waiting for him, but that she needed to be in there to get work done.

She resumed her spot on the leather couch where earlier that day she had been entwined with Draco Malfoy. She kicked herself. If Harry or Ron knew…she didn't want to think about that. They had their own lives to take care of. Hers was confusing enough for herself.

Hermione heard someone approach the door and mumble something. The door swung open, revealing a rough looking Draco. As if possible, he seemed more blanched, save a little pink glow on his nose. She looked at him questioningly. He looked almost surprised to see her sitting there.

"Surprised?" she asked, not moving from the couch by the fire. He stood rigid by the door. "Malfoy at a loss for words. This is a first."

She was past the point of niceties. He moved to the table, taking off his robe and placing his hands against the shiny table top. His chest heaved from apparent exhaustion. Hermione clenched her fingers around her wand. She wouldn't do anything irrational…maybe. Draco finally stood to full height, and without looking at her, walked to the door and exited.

Hermione's jaw dropped; she ran to the door and launched herself into the hallway. "I think I deserve some pathetic excuse for why you didn't show up!" She didn't mention what exactly happened earlier. She didn't want to hear that it was all a mistake.

He stopped in the dark, vacant corridor; his silver blonde hair shone and seemed to move slightly with the pulsation of his heart. She couldn't get a read on him.

"Nothing, Granger."

He seemed distracted, making Hermione's temper flare. She stomped towards him, ready to kick, punch, scream- whatever it took until she got a truthful answer.

"Nothing? That's it? That's all you have to say to me?"

He looked almost afraid of her. Her anger subsided and gave way to sadness. She tried not to let it show. Had they not been together only 5-odd hours ago? The whirlwind of emotions made her dizzy, and she leaned against the wall to keep herself from falling over. Draco looked her in the eyes for the first time since he'd returned. After a long silence, he spoke up.

"They'll go after you first." he mumbled, and walked past her in the opposite direction.

Hermione choked. "Where were you?" she asked slowly.

He turned around to face her. "Tell your parents to leave their home."

Something much bigger was tearing him apart inside, but Hermione was still dumbfounded. "What are you talking about, Malfoy?" she whispered. He tore his hands through his hair in frustration.

"You heard me. Gather your family and tell them to go somewhere they won't be found." His expressions turned cold. "Just swallow your know-it all attitude and-"

"They're coming after them?" she asked meekly, her chin threatening to quake. He shook his head, and took to pacing down the hallway.

"Not yet. A few weeks."

Hermione's mind raced. What did this all mean? She had to tell Harry and Ron. He kept walking into the darkness. Hermione chased after him, sputtering beginnings of questions. "How..." "Where…" "When…" She stopped in her tracks, shaking from nerves.

"What about you?" she asked, barely audible.

He whipped around and looked at her as if she'd said something asinine.

"What do you _mean_ what about me? I'll be doing jobs so awful that your Golden Boy won't stop until he finds me personally to kill me." His eyes lingered on hers before he turned around to leave.

"No."

He stopped dead, giving her a questioning look. She looked on the verge of tears.

"NO" she repeated, raising her voice.

He stormed towards her. "I don't know what you think you know about me, Granger, but it's something you can't learn in a book. I'm not your good boy Potter or that idiot Weasley. I don't fight the good fight, I don't come here to learn lessons to become a healer or an Auror. I am here to spy on precious Potter so that when he lets something slip because he can't keep his mouth shut, I can report it back to my father." His expression showed years of anger and frustration.

They stood in the hallway, Hermione staring him straight in the eyes. Tears threatened to escape her deep brown eyes. "You're wrong." she murmured. He looked at her like he did when he found out she was the daughter of muggles, like a diseased animal had approached him. It was as if nothing had happened- as if this year didn't mean anything.

As if any headway they had made, any sort of bond, had suddenly vanished.

Hermione couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They freely fell from her eyes, slowing crawling down her cheeks. Emotion was seeping out every pore. She couldn't contain it anymore.

"You're WRONG" she yelled, not caring that they were out in the halls of Hogwarts past midnight. Draco looked maniacal, as if he might curse her right then and there. His chest heaved up and down as if he'd just ran a marathon. Hermione balled her hands into fists and yelled again. "YOU'RE WRONG!"

"You never listen, you insufferable brat. No one likes a-"

"A what, Malfoy?" she interrupted,waving her hands above her head. "A Mudblood piece of scum? Don't worry, you'll be rid of us all soon." She let out a pained laugh amongst her sobs. "In fact, I'll round us all up over holiday and that way you won't have to go looking for us! I'll leave the time and place on the bloody counter in the Head's Room so you can give it to Daddy!"

She was sobbing so hard she couldn't catch her breath. Draco stood his ground, beads of sweat falling from his temples. She cried until her throat ached, tears burning her eyes.

It had begun to snow outside, and sheets of white pounded against the windows. The howl of the wind drowned out her sobs. Draco shoulders slacked, his eyes clouding. When Hermione finally looked up, she saw him walking away.

"He doesn't love you" she said just loud enough to be heard over the storm.

Draco slowed his walk down.

"He doesn't love you, Draco." she said again, her voice raspy from crying but with more strength than before. He remained with his back towards her. Hermione watched his head fall down.

"That's not love." Draco squatted, putting his head in his hands.

"He doesn't love you" she croaked. "I…"

He started to shiver.

"I…I love you."

Draco's entire body shook, and just over the howling wind, she could make out the sound of slight sobs.

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